The Asian Age – Muslim rapper causes stir in UK

London: With a title like All Is War (The Benefits of G-Had) and a song about a suicide bomber, a new album by British Muslim rapper Nawaz has raised eyebrows before its release, even at his own record label.

The Pakistan-born rapperâ€™s group Fun-Da-Mental were set to put the new disc on sale July 17, 10 days after the first anniversary of the London bombings. But its words and themes, another predicting US decline at the hands of Muslims, caused two directors at Nation Records to threaten to quit if All Is War hit the shops. “I know what Iâ€™m doing, everything I did was intentional,” a determined Nawaz said.

The release was held off, but Nation now says the album will come out online on August 7, then go on sale in stores on either August 14 or 21. Nawaz named the two who threatened to resign as Andrew Heath and Martin Mills, silent partners at Nation.

A spokesperson for Millsâ€™s separate record label, Beggars Banquet, however said they would make no comment “at all” on the matter. For a group that has not tasted mainstream success, Fun-Da-Mentalâ€™s new album has generated plenty of media coverage. On the track list are titles like I Reject, Electro G-Had and Cookbook DIY, the last the voice of a suicide bomber that â€” given the timing â€” brings to mind the four, home-grown bombers who killed 56 people and wounded about 700 more in last Julyâ€™s attack on the London transport network.